The Art of Perfection
by The Ghost of FF. Net
Summary: Leo takes his position as leader and his training seriously, but what happens when he takes it too far? Leo centric. Angst included.
1. Chapter 1

**The Art of Perfection**

**Chapter 1**

"Again, Leonardo," Splinter ordered firmly, his black eyes glimmering in the din of the room, his voice not sounding as though he had been speaking for the past four hours straight.

"Yes, Sensei," the blue-banded turtle stated, his voice soft, containing every bit of disappointment in himself that he secretly thought he saw in his father's eyes.

They'd been practicing the same move for over an hour now, and he still couldn't get it right. For some reason, every time he went to step into the lunge, his feet would slip or his aim would be a few inches off; thus missing his target, leaving him none too pleased.

The session had begun at seven o'clock that evening, and from the way his body was feeling, it was more than likely close to midnight. Plus the fact that Mikey's snores could be heard throughout the surprisingly quiet lair pretty much gave that away.

But he wasn't going to quit. Not until he got the move right, and that was that.

The foursome had just turned fifteen recently, and along with the new age came new responsibilities, even more so for Leonardo.

Training sessions were becoming longer, whilst free time was growing shorter. Not that that actually mattered much to him. He knew what was coming, and that they were going to have to be prepared for it no matter what. Convincing his brothers to be as readily to train as he was a whole other chore in itself.

Donnie was always too busy with some new invention; Mikey was too busy playing video games; and Raph, Raph just didn't really give a damn.

Especially if it had anything to do with listening to Leo. The older the red-banded turtle got, the more rebellious he was growing; and the rift that was coming between him and Leonardo grew.

Substantially.

It seemed as though with each new day, an argument would erupt from the simplest of words, driving the two further apart; a fact that Leo was beginning to hate.

He sighed as he wiped the sheet of sweat from his forehead, his chest aching with each breath he took, his arms feeling heavy and lead-like. It only took a second for Master Splinter to see that the fifteen year old's arms were shaking from exhaustion.

"We will continue this tomorrow, my son. You've done well today," he conceded with a faint smile, gently laying a furry paw on his son's sweat-drenched shoulder.

His sapphire orbs immediately fell to the floor of the dojo, ashamed of himself for being unable to complete the moves that seemed so simplistic when Master Splinter did them. His shoulders moved forward slightly, the weight of the world already beginning to weigh him down.

"Yes, Master." His timid voice was so soft that the older rat almost didn't hear it.

"Leonardo, do not be so hard on yourself. You are still young and have much to learn. Please, rest. It has been a long day." He was trying to be as comforting as possible, but from the looks of things, the oldest turtle just wasn't going to hear it.

With a nod, the fifteen year old sheathed his twin katanas, bowing before he exited the dojo. Anger flared through his veins as he made his way to the bathroom, cursing himself silently for his imperfection.

He was trying desperately to ignore the pain and soreness that burned with each step he took, particularly in his calves and feet. And the nausea that was creeping through his stomach didn't help matters any. He'd forgotten to eat supper that night, too interested in the new moves Splinter was going to teach him.

But eating was the farthest thing from his mind at the moment, the urge to go right back into the dojo and continue to practice until he nailed the move. He hesitated before entering the bathroom, listening silently as his father made his way to his living quarters.

Taking a deep breath, Leo stood there, waiting fifteen minutes before creeping back down the stairs and into the dojo. Steadying himself, he pulled his twin katanas free from their sheathes once again, releasing them through the quiet lair air.

His sapphire eyes gleamed mysteriously, his brow narrowed in hurried determination. He had to get the damned moved right. He just had too!

His arms burned as he twisted and turned the swords, lunging and drawing them back at just the precise moment he was trained to. A pang of exhilaration flooded through his nervous system, his legs and arms in sync with each other as they were supposed to be; for the first time that night.

And then he stumbled, nearly falling straight to the floor.

Dizziness swam across his vision, forcing the teen to lean against the wall of the dojo, feeling helpless until the lightheaded feeling went away.

Letting out a discouraged sigh, Leonardo prepared himself again for the complicated kata, bracing his unsteady body as he began the exercise once more. Nausea infiltrated his stomach as soon as he made it through the first stage of the activity, but he continued to ignore the feeling, clenching his jaw so tight it felt as though his teeth were going to break.

By the time he had finally completed the lesson(although he was hardly satisfied with his performance), he was completely covered in sweat, his blue bandanna a sleek shade of black.

The eldest of the four made his way up the stairs and to the bathroom, struggling the entire time whilst trying to undo the saturated cloth. He finally got it off just as he reached the door, his hand trembling violently as he turned the knob.

His lungs throbbed painfully in his chest, exhausted from the amount of oxygen they had attempted to take in during the teen's too long training session; and the rest of his fatigued body wasn't doing too well either.

Painstakingly, Leonardo removed the leather strap that kept his katanas nearby, setting them down gently as he forced himself into the shower, slight tremors wracking his arms and legs. He quickly turned the hot water on, thankful as the substance rained down upon his sore muscles, his blue orbs closing in the process.

Physically, he was beyond exhausted. This was the third time that week his private training session with Master Splinter had lasted for more than three hours.

And it was only Wednesday.

He'd never felt so drained in his life, and the fact that he'd probably only get an hour or two of sleep wasn't going to help his situation any. But he had to train, he had to get every move correct, because he knew if the moment would ever arise and a fight would befall them, he had to be prepared. It would be his fault if they lost, and it would be his fault if he somehow failed to protect them, which he knew he was fully capable of doing.

Master Splinter had chosen him for a reason, and he couldn't let his father down. No matter how many times he seemed to.

A quiet sigh left his lips as he opened his eyes and reached for the hot water knob, knowing it was about to run out. Noiselessly, he dried himself off and gathered his things, almost making it out of the room until he glanced at himself in the partially foggy mirror.

His brow narrowed further as he came closer to the reflection, something seeming off about his appearance. He bit his bottom lip, studying the semi-circles that were forming underneath his eyes, though he hardly paid them any heed. But that wasn't it...it was something else.

A knock on the door jerked him from his thoughts, his heart nearly jumping right out of his chest at the sudden disturbance.

_Is it that late already?_, the panicked idea raced through his head, his weary orbs searching the room for the time even though he knew there wasn't a clock in there.

His body screamed at him as he hurriedly unlocked the door, relief washing over him as a half asleep Mikey pushed past him and over to the toilet.

He immediately made the short trek to his room, carefully setting his katanas in their rightful place on the storage rack, and his bandanna on the nightstand.

The red numbers on the digital clock flashed before his eyes, the time making the panic that had resorted to being dormant kick back into full gear.

"Five twenty?" Leo murmured to himself, his muscles already threatening to collapse on him. Shaking his head, he sat down on the bed, considering the thought of just staying up instead of taking the forty minute nap that awaited him.

It took less than five seconds for his body to answer.

* * *

He could barely even lift his arm high enough to shut the beeping clock off, his worn muscles trembling beneath his jade skin. A very quick battle raged within him, one voice telling him to just go back to sleep; the other, more reprimanding voice reminding him that it was time to get up, regardless of how he felt. 

Slowly, he sat up, dizziness already plaguing his sapphire orbs. He tried his best to shake it off, forcing himself to his feet as he reached for his bandanna. A sigh escaped his lips as he realized it was still soaked with sweat from his workout, only a patch of the normal blue color visible to the naked eye.

"Great, how am I going to explain this to the others?" the question tumbled out of his mouth, his hands shakily tying the cloth around his head. "Maybe they won't even notice," he murmured, tiredly making his way out of the small room and downstairs into the kitchen.

From the looks and sounds of things, his brothers still hadn't made it up yet, leaving him to a lone table with plenty of opportunity to nap on while the others rose.

_No, you can't. You've got to start your warm up exercises. Don't forget what Master Splinter said. A ninja must be prepared and alert at all times. You must be disciplined. _

Shaking off his thoughts, he went over to the sink, grabbing a clean glass from the dish strainer and filling it up. It took less than a couple seconds for the water to disappear from the tumbler. Taking in a deep breath, the fifteen year old achingly made his way into the dojo, dread building in the back of his mind. He was actually beginning to wonder if he was going to be able to make it through the day.

Forcing his arms and legs to flow into motion, he began his first kata, something simplistic to start out with, for the sake of his pleading body. His muscles and tendons screamed at him as the blue-banded turtle moved into action, ignoring the soreness and pain that was starting to sear through his poorly rested body.

Dizziness charged at him once again, but Leonardo let the feeling go unnoticed, continuing with his early morning workout. It didn't take long for the sweat to come, running down his cheeks and thoroughly staining his bandanna further.

"Hey, Leo," Don's voice seemingly came from out of nowhere, completely removing the eldest turtle from his thoughts.

"Hey," Leonardo replied back, breathless. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he glanced up, inwardly noting the concerned expression on Donnie's face. "What's up?"

"Um, it's time for breakfast. Just thought I'd let you know." His chocolate orbs searched the leader for a moment, silently studying every aspect of the blue-banded turtle before quietly exiting the room without another word.

"Right," Leo muttered, his brow narrowing a bit. He taciturnly retreated back to the bathroom for a quick shower before making his way into the kitchen.

His brothers were seated at the kitchen table, each with their own separate food of choice. Don was busy tinkering with some new gadget, nibbling on his toast when the need arose. Raph was munching on a bowl of Coco Puffs whilst arguing with Mikey about some new video game they had come across; and Mikey, well, Leo wasn't exactly sure what he was consuming.

Letting out a silent sigh, he went over to the cupboard and removed a bowl and a box of Cheerios. He stared at the box for a moment, an argument waging within his head. To be honest, he wasn't really hungry; but he knew he hadn't eaten in over sixteen hours, a bad habit he had been increasingly guilty of as of late.

"You just expect 'em ta jump into tha bowl on their own, Leo?" Raph's voice came from behind, earning a laugh out of his youngest brother.

"What? No," Leo murmured, slowly pouring himself some of the little round O's. Adding a little milk, he extracted a spoon from the cutlery tray and sat down.

"What'd you do, shower with your bandanna on or somethin'?" It was Raph again, and it was apparent that he was determined to press Leo's buttons, a small smile creeping over his mouth.

"Yeah, I forgot to take it off," Leo offered up the sarcastic remark with a smirk, his sapphire eyes gleaming.

Raphael stared at him unsurely for a moment before returning back to his previous conversation with Mikey, something the eldest turtle was mutely thankful for. He really wasn't in the mood for an argument right now.

His attention soon drifted to the bowl in front of him, an acidic taste teasing the back of his throat. Swallowing it down, he lifted the spoon up to his lips, taking a small bite of the harmless cereal. As soon as it left his mouth and whirled down his esophagus, he could feel the urge to vomit immediately, his body rejecting the small amount that he was attempting to put into his stomach.

"Whoa...You okay, bro? You're looking a little...green!" Mikey quipped, laughing hysterically at his own joke, and almost spilling the contents of his mouth across the table.

"'ey, watch it, shell fa brains. The last thing I want is somethin' from your mouth gettin' inta mine," Raph stated, his brow furrowed.

"Ditto," Donatello mumbled, pushing his chair further away from the table, eying his younger brother carefully.

"Michelangelo is right, my son. You do look a little under the weather. Perhaps you should rest today," Master Splinter's voice came from behind, a furry paw slowly making its way to Leo's forehead.

He didn't know why, but for some reason the blue-banded turtle jumped at his father's touch, instantly regretting the reflex.

"I'm fine, Sensei, really." Leo's voice was soft and apologetic as he spoke, inwardly afraid that he had somehow upset the older rat. His weary gaze rested on the bowl of now soggy cereal, his appetite's whereabouts unknown.

"Are you sure, Leonardo? You haven't even touched your breakfast," Splinter noted, gesturing towards the still full bowl of toasted oats.

"I'm actually not all that hungry," Leo admitted, standing to his feet. Purple and blue spots danced before his eyes, his vision blurring badly. His brothers faces transformed into mere blots of green, the room spinning as though he'd just ran in circles fifty times.

It took more than a few seconds for the fifteen year old to compose himself, silently praying no one had noticed his sudden silence or stiffness. And as his sight cleared, it was quite obvious it hadn't. Or so he thought.

Glancing around the room, he quickly rinsed his dishes off and headed for the dojo, shaking off the the tiny dots that still decided to swirl before his eyes.

_Just concentrate. Remember what Sensei said, just breathe and concentrate._

Knowing it would be a little while longer before the others came in for their morning training, he sat down on one of the practice mats and took up the lotus position, easing into a meditated state, unable to hear the conversation that was taking place in the kitchen.

* * *

"Is it just me or was Leo acting just a little bit strange?" Donatello suggested, his glance falling between his two brothers who were finishing their meal. 

"When doesn't Leo act strange?" Raph murmured, gulping down the last bit of milk that was left in his bowl, letting out a relieved "Ahh," after the last bit made its way to his tongue.

"No, seriously. He wasn't at dinner last night, and he's still not hungry? It's been over twelve hours since he's ate anything," Donnie stated, his technical tone already making his brothers want to cover their ears.

"You do that sometimes ya'self, bro. 'Specially when you're working on one your new inventions or whateva they're called," the red-banded turtle informed his younger brother as he stood up, stretching his muscles in the process. "You keep talkin' like that and I'm gonna start callin' _you_ Leo junyah."

"Yeah, maybe you're right," Don muttered, still inwardly convinced that there was something wrong with his oldest brother. He did look like he'd lost a little weight though.

"Hey, stop worrying, Donnie," Mikey grinned, patting his older brother on the shoulder. "Remember what you always say, 'Out of all of us, Leo's the-'"

"The one we have to worry about the least. Yeah, I get it, Mikey," the purple-banded turtle sighed, removing himself from the table. "Come on, it's training time," he reminded his younger brother, worried thoughts of Leo still swimming around his head as he headed for the dojo.

**Hi, everyone! This isn't my first story on but it's the only one I have on here currently. I did post one sometime ago with the same title, but it got erased. So...I decided to rewrite it basically. Some of you might remember it, but if not, that's okay too. Hope you liked it nonetheless:D**

**jaunt**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Art of Perfection**

**Chapter 2**

He stood there, hidden amongst the shadows, doing his best to remain unseen. His dark orbs moved back and forth, back and forth, keeping a keen eye on the target at hand. It was of the utmost importance that he retain his cover, at least for the moment.

A quiet sigh left his lips as he folded his arms across his plastron, double checking the time and upon seeing that roughly only five minutes had passed, decided that it was time to blow his cover. After all, he _had_ been standing there for close to half and hour now.

Enough was enough.

Nearly three weeks had passed since Donatello decided to keep a quiet wrap on their older brother's behavior, Leo's ever increasing attempts to train making him curious, albeit worried as well.

Seemingly every time he saw the blue-banded turtle, he was training with Splinter, with his brothers, or by himself; managing to steadily lose himself in the art of ninjitsu. Which wasn't an entirely bad thing, but it was obvious that the teenager was wearing himself out.

Weight was vanishing from his muscular frame, the amount between his skin and bones steadily disappearing. If Donnie had to guess, he'd say his older brother had probably lost a good fifteen to twenty pounds. And even though it didn't seem like much, it still made him worry.

He knew Leo was hardly getting any sleep, judging by the fact that he'd still be in the dojo at two o'clock in the morning, right when the resident genius either passed out at his workstation or actually forced himself to lay in his own bed for a change.

After witnessing various incidents of apparent disorientation, the purple-banded turtle had made up his mind. He had to talk to Leo about whatever was going on. Just to be safe.

Chewing on his bottom lip, Donatello stepped forward warily, clearing his throat to get his brother's attention.

"Leo." The said turtle stopped the kata he had been repeating for the past forty-five minutes, a blanket of sweat covering his body. Donnie could tell by the look in his eyes that he was quite surprised but doing his best to pretend as though he knew Donatello had been there all along.

"What's up?" the katana-wielding turtle asked, wiping the film of sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. He was breathing hard, partly out of nearly being scared out of his wits by his little brother, and mostly because he was pushing himself past his limits.

"I...I need to talk to you about something, and it's pretty important," Donatello confided, glancing at the floor of the dojo, automatically knowing that Leo would take it upon himself to believe that something was wrong with one of his younger brothers instead of himself.

"Yeah, sure," Leonardo replied instantly, worry already flooding the back of his mind. Various scenarios were starting to play out in his head as he sheathed his katanas, inwardly going down a list of possible reasons why Donnie would be so afraid to talk to him.

The purple-clad turtle stared at his hands for a moment before continuing with their conversation. "Leo...look...do you think that maybe you've been training a little too much?" He was surprised at how firm his voice was, his brow narrowing a bit as his eyes met his brother's.

A gentle smile played across Leo's lips. "Donnie, is this really what you want to talk to me about? I mean, if there's something else..."

"No," Don cut in, shaking his head. He let out another sigh, only this one sounded much more frustrated. "No, look, Leo...I've just noticed that you barely do anything other than train any more. It seems like no matter what time of day it is, you're always in here or out on a run. It's just not..._healthy_," he finished, stunned at how straightforward he was. Usually that was Raph's job.

An unsure expression crossed Leo's features, an eye ridge lifting in slight disbelief. "Um, Donnie, thanks for being concerned and all, but I think I know what I'm doing. I'm alright," Leo stated, laying a gentle hand on his younger brother's shoulder, only to have the shoulder be shrugged away from him.

"No you're not, and that much is easy to see. When's the last time you ate anything? Because if I were to recall, it would've been a few days ago," the resident genius stated, answering his own question, a hue of anger laced within his tone.

Leo's jaw grew taut, his sapphire orbs starting to glimmer with fear. "Donnie, you've got nothing to be worried about," the eldest turtle explained, his features growing serious. "I just ate this morning." He was doing his best to justify the situation at hand, but it wasn't working, especially as Donatello nearly flung his wrist into Leonardo's face, the time on his watch stating it was precisely 9:02 P.M.

"Didn't realize it was so late, did you?" Don's voice was soft now as he stared down at the floor, unable to look his older brother in the eye, knowing he'd see guilt there.

"No, I guess I didn't," the katana-wielding turtle replied, his voice equally soft. "Sorry about that," he immediately apologized, glancing up at his younger brother. "I guess I just kind of got caught up, you know?" Leo stared at Donnie for a moment longer before continuing. "I'm going to go clean up, then I promise I'll go eat something, okay?" he asked gently, trying desperately to drain the sadness from Don's distraught face.

"Yeah, sure," the younger of the two forced a quick smile before turning and exiting the room. Somehow, he just wasn't satisfied with his brother's answer. The certainty that he was looking for just wasn't there.

A disheartened sigh left the blue-banded turtle's lungs as he wiped the sweat from his brow, inwardly trying to figure out how he had just spent over six hours in the dojo without realizing it.

_Wait, nine o'clock? We should be out on patrol, or at least out for a run. _

His mind was already buzzing with possible intersections for them to check out while he made his way out of the dojo and up the stairs to the bathroom, completely forgetting the talk he and Don had just had. Before he knew it, he was collecting his brothers, announcing that they should get ready for the five mile run he had planned for them.

"Aw, come on, Leo," Mikey started to whine, not wanting to be pulled away from the television show he was currently trying to watch. "They've almost gotten to Na-Mek," he tried again, only to receive a if-you-don't-come-on-you're-going-to-regret-it looks. "Fi-ne," he sighed, pulling himself up from the couch.

"Well, look who finally crawled outta the dojo," Raphael stated with a smirk as he came into the living room, his eyes gleaming with trouble. "Sure ya don't wanna stay in there a little longa?"

"Come on, Raph. We don't have time for this. Someone could be getting hurt out there." His tone was authoritative as he spoke, crossing his arms across his chest in frustration.

"Someone could be gettin' hurt in here too if they're not careful," the hothead hinted, the distance between him and Leo shortening.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Leonardo inquired almost sarcastically, his eyes narrowing, annoyance and anger filtering through his voice. He stood his ground, straighting his posture.

"Exactly what I said it means," the red-banded turtle answered, the gap between him and his older brother lessening to a few feet now.

"Weren't we supposed to be going out on a run?" Donatello piped up, wedging his way in between his older brothers, glancing at the slightly fearful expression that was ghosting Michelangelo's face.

"Let's go," Leo declared quietly, his eyes still on his sai-wielding brother as they left the lair. As soon as his feet hit the grimy sewer waters, he took off, ignoring the faint chill that was brushing against his skin. He smiled inwardly as he pulled out ahead of his brothers, despite the fact he had been using his body consistently for the good majority of the day. Hell, this was his third run in twenty-four hours, a fact he decided to keep to himself. No use worrying them.

_As if they'd worry at all._

Donnie's words suddenly struck him, making the guilt that was the size of a teardrop grow tenfold. He'd completely forgotten about what the purple-banded turtle had said, too engrossed with their nightly duties to remember.

_I'll eat when I get back,_ he thought to himself, feeling the familiar beads of sweat start to trickle down his forehead. He glanced back at his brothers, only to find that they were a fair distance behind.

"Come on you guys, I even gave you a break yesterday!" the fifteen-year-old shouted over his shoulder, climbing up the ladder that lead to the outside world.

"That's it," Raph mumbled, picking up his speed. There was no way he was going to let his older brother beat him tonight. His brow narrowed as his muscular legs carried him down the tunnel, letting him catch a glimpse of his brother's feet as they slid up and out of the manhole. "Not ta'night, Leo," the barely audible words tumbled out of his mouth as he flew up the rungs two at a time, leaving Don and Mikey to scramble after him.

"They're competing again, aren't they?" Mikey asked, glancing over at Donnie, his warm orbs showcasing their fear even in the dark.

"Looks that way," Don replied, not liking the feeling that was starting to grow in the pit of his stomach. Something just didn't feel right. But what it was, he had no clue.

"They're really going to hurt each other one of these days," the orange-clad turtle stated softly, wishing that things were like they used to be when they were younger, but he knew that would never happen. That was the past, and sadly, the past it would more than likely stay.

By the time the two youngest had made it out of the sewers, their brothers moving forms on the skyline were barely visible in the New York night, their bandannas the only trace of them flapping in the wind.

"Here we go," Donnie muttered, shaking his head as he and Mikey made their way up the side of the building.

"Maybe if you paid more attention in practice, you'd remember what Sensei said about improving your speed," Leo couldn't help but call out, inwardly knowing he was pushing his hotheaded brother's buttons.

"Maybe if you shut yer trap, we'd like you a little bit more." The words left Raph's lips before he could even process the thought of thinking them, guilt already welling as he took notice of Leo's slightly faltered steps when his voice entered his older brother's ears.

Leo sped up once more upon hearing Raphael's comment, heat flooding his cheeks. He wasn't sure if it was from mere anger at his brother's statement or embarrassment from his two other siblings hearing it. Silence chased him as his feet padded on rooftop after rooftop, his legs carrying him faster and farther than they should have.

Leonardo wouldn't admit it, but Raph's comment did leave quite an aftertaste in his mouth, the bitterness making him want to vomit. Or perhaps it was just stomach acid forcing its way up due to lack of food. Either way, it hurt.

"What's wrong, Fearless? Didn't like that last one?" Raphael continued, doing his best to catch up with his older brother, though it was seemingly becoming harder and harder as Leo got further away. He was almost an entire rooftop behind the blue-banded turtle, and that only increased his determination, but his steps faltered greatly as a wall soon separated the two.

A wall created by the Foot.

"Leo!" the cry immediately parted Raph's lips, fear ablaze in his cinnamon orbs as he searched wildly for any trace of his older sibling, without any results. Gone was the taunting tone from his voice, replaced with definite anger fused with a slight tinge of guilt. If they hadn't been concentrating so hard on besting each other, they would have noticed the shadows that were not their own.

It didn't take long for the two youngest of the group to catch up, concern written across their worried visages.

"What are we gonna do?" Mikey exclaimed, his emerald eyes gleaming in the moonlight, panic flooding through his veins.

"What do ya think we're gonna do? Let's go!" Raphael ordered, charging ahead, sais already in a defensive position.

Glancing at Don, Michelangelo received a nod, the gesture giving him the okay to follow their hot-headed brother, even though the bo-wielding turtle thought better of it. Now he knew where that feeling in the pit of his stomach had come from.

&&&&&

_Wait a minute, wasn't he just behind...me?_

As soon as he heard his name being called, he knew something was wrong; and as he turned to stare at the spot that he thought had been occupied by his younger brother, he realized just how wrong he was.

His sapphire orbs widened as he traced their heads, one by one, a count of at least fifty coming to mind. Mentally, he was kicking himself, not understanding how he could have been so damned blind.

_That's what you get for not paying attention. What kind of a leader leads his clan right into the middle of a trap?_ He was inwardly screaming at himself now, but ultimately, he knew it didn't matter. He'd deal with his incompetence later. Right now he had to deal with the present.

_Alright, fifty, give or take a few. That means roughly...a dozen a piece. That's alright, it's nothing we haven't done before—no, we can't let our guard down or underestimate them. There's no telling what they're up to._

The fifteen-year-old took a deep breath, silently knowing that they were already in over their heads. But that's what he was there for—to get them out of this mess. The one he himself had gotten them into.

Sweat trickled down his forehead as he made his way towards the ninjas, his katana drawn and ready. Letting his body go into battle mode, he went ahead with the attack, seeming at ease the way he was kicking and slashing at the Foot. One by one, they were starting to fall, giving him just enough visibility to be able to see his brothers who were still on the rooftop adjacent to him.

Panic teased him as he saw Michelangelo nearly get thrown off the building, his heart practically seizing in his chest; but luckily, the orange-banded turtle was able to steady himself before his feet could slip any further.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he continued the fight, trying his best to knock the enemy down; but it seemed as though when one hit the blacktop, another sprang right up. Gritting his teeth, Leo pushed on, trying to ignore the pang of dizziness that was threatening to impair his eyesight.

He could feel the sweat streaming down his brow now, darkening the blue bandanna he wore so proudly. And slowly but surely, his breath started to become visible, the air suddenly growing colder. Giving the sky a quick glance, he almost cringed when he saw the violet clouds that lay overhead, the last of the moonlight fading into their thundering depths.

"Shell," the fifteen-year-old muttered, cursing inwardly. It wasn't as though he disliked the rain, he just didn't care for the occasional downpour that had a happenstance of disrupting their fights and making it harder for them to engage their battle tactics in.

Lightning lit up the otherwise darkened sky, streaking across the velvety clouds that were growing more ominous by the minute. It didn't take long before the heavens opened up, sending a torrential downpour upon their heads.

The instant the transparent liquid hit his skin, the blue-banded turtle wanted to shiver, the droplets stinging his jade-colored flesh. Gritting his teeth, he fought against the wind that was starting to gust past him as well, the tails of his bandanna fluttering violently in its wake. He narrowed his brow, determination set deep within the sapphire orbs that were attempting to take in too many things at once.

Glancing over his shoulder, he could see that his brothers had finally made it over to the rooftop he'd been confined to, and even though that made him feel slightly more relieved, that feeling was soon abandoned as he took notice of his purple-banded brother's struggling.

Donatello was surrounded on all sides, and from the looks of things, lacking his weapon as well. "Hold on, Donnie!" Leo shouted, diligently trying to make his way over to his younger sibling. His eyes turned to slits as his feet slid across the slippery rooftop, the balance he worked so hard to attain malfunctioning on him.

He grunted in frustration, forcing himself to retain his perfect posture, but as he neared his younger brother, he neglected to see the Foot soldier that was patiently awaiting his presence just out of the corner of his eye.

It only took a fraction of a second for him to see the weapon that was currently being drawn on him, but before he could react, the sound of something cracking below his right knee caught his ear.

It didn't take long before he hit the ground, the hilt of his katana clasped tightly within his grip as pain started to electrocute his limb.

His leg was broken.

_Great. Just great_.

It took all the strength he had to keep himself from screaming.

**Author's note – Sorry it took me so long to update everyone. And I apologize if the ending's kind of crappy, but it felt like the right place to end it so... :D Thanks to everyone for your reviews. They pushed me to finally finish this chapter. Hopefully, the next one won't take as long, and there'll probably be a bit more angst as well. **


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